First published in the April 14 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
Fresh off the honor of winning the prestigious Crown City Innovator Award that is usually given to professional builders, the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association is already hard at work on the float that will be part of the 2023 Rose Parade.
Ernest Koeppen, president of the LCFTA, unveiled the theme and design of the organization’s next Rose Parade entry at the City Council meeting on April 5. Next year’s parade theme is “Turn the Corner,” and La Cañada’s entry is called “Second Hand Shenanigans.”
“Our float depicts a whimsical perspective of a young child preparing to move on to the next step in life’s journey,” Koeppen said in a statement. “Part of this preparation is the cleanup of the outgrown toys and clothing. While that pile is built in the driveway, an opportunistic young family of rambunctious raccoons happen by and exact upon the pile of curios the shenanigans of what raccoons do, as the surprised child peers from the bedroom window.”
Koeppen said the process of making a float is a long one that begins now — not in the fall a few months before the big parade — and the organization welcomes anyone interested in design, research, engineering, art or any other skillset to reach out to the organization.
“We have a rocking team of unique talent,” Koeppen added. “If you think this big old hotrod has designs on your inner tinkerer, if you want to learn a new skill, if you want to teach, please come by or call and let’s get you dirty.”
